Saint Vigilius church, Roman Catholic church in Pinzolo, Italy

Saint Vigilius church is a Roman Catholic building in Pinzolo, built with a rectangular plan and three aisles separated by granite columns with pointed arches. The walls and structure are made largely of stone from the nearby Val Genova valley, with some marble details added throughout.

A chapel dedicated to the Virgin, Saint Vigilius and Saint Michael stood at Sorano since the first millennium. The present church is first documented on 28 October 1232, when heads of families from Pinzolo, Baldino and Carisolo met under its portico to assess flood damage from the Sarca. It was consecrated on 28 August 1454 by Albertino da Tridino, suffragan of Trent, and rebuilt in 1515 with three aisles; Simone II Baschenis painted the Dance of Death on 31 October 1539.

The north wall carries the Dance of Death, painted by Simone II Baschenis and dated 31 October 1539: three skeletons lead eighteen pairs, from a pope, a cardinal and an emperor down to a beggar, a child and an old man, ending with Saint Michael killing the devil. Below it, the seven deadly sins appear as animals — a lion for pride, a toad for avarice, a goat for lust.

The church sits inside the Pinzolo cemetery and is easy to reach on foot from the town center. It is worth spending time outside as well as inside, since the frescoes on the exterior walls are a key part of the visit.

The Dance of Death on the north wall measures about 2 metres high and 22 metres wide and is dated 31 October 1539. It opens with three skeletons, one seated on a royal throne, followed by 18 pairs of clergy, nobles, a pope, an emperor, a beggar, a child and an old man, each led by a skeleton, and ends with Saint Michael killing the devil.